The holiday season has here, which not only calls for decorations but also festive plants! At this time of year, there are many lovely holiday plants to pick from, whether they are bought from a florist, nursery, or are grown at home. The Christmas cactus is one of the most popular plants to give or receive at this time of year. Or is it a Thanksgiving or Easter cactus?
The three cacti differ from one another in terms of how their leaves are shaped. The edges of the leaves of the Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumgera truncata) are very sharply pointed and shaped like claws. The leaf projections of the Christmas cactus (Schlumgera bridgesti) are more scalloped or teardrop shaped. The edges of the leaves of the Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaertnerrii) are extremely rounded and centered.
These three cacti are all classified as short-day plants. Therefore, the plant needs low temperatures and 12–24 hours of darkness in order to bloom. If you overwintered your plant outside or bought it from a florist or nursery, you should keep it in a cold, dark place until the buds appear. The optimum location is an infrequently used bedroom or lower level. The Easter cactus gets its name from the fact that it takes 8–12 weeks of short days to bloom as opposed to the Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti’s roughly six weeks. It can be brought into a warmer environment once the buds start to form for your enjoyment. At this stage, a plant may occasionally start to lose its buds. That might be caused by air currents, warm temperatures, an abundance of water, or direct sunlight. Bright light is good for the plants, but not direct sunlight. Before watering, the soil should be completely dry to one inch below the surface. Fertilizing or repotting shouldn’t be done when the plant is in bloom. The plants appear to thrive when they are root-bound.
You might see the Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus bloom once more in the spring, though perhaps not as lavishly as over the holiday season. Simply restore the plant to its short day settings to promote springtime blooming.
Unless they are overwatered, these plants are generally disease-free. If the plant turns crimson, there is either too much sun, not enough phosphorus, or not enough water. There are rumors of plants that have been passed down from generation to generation for more than a century. Take advantage of these easygoing holiday plants and establish a new gardening custom. Call the Linn County Master Gardener Hortline at 319-447-0647 with any and all of your gardening inquiries.
What kind of cactus celebrates Thanksgiving?
Unbelievably, you might have a Thanksgiving-themed cactus rather than a Christmas-themed one! Despite having extremely similar appearances, the two plants are distinct.
Unfortunately, the fact that these Christmas succulents are sometimes mislabeled at garden centers contributes to the confusion between them. Furthermore, the misunderstanding is exacerbated by the fact that they both bloom in the late fall or early winter. But it’s good to know which one you actually possess. How to tell them apart is as follows:
Thanksgiving Cactus (Schlumbergera truncata)
The Thanksgiving cactus’ leaves can be used to distinguish it from the Christmas cactus. The leaf segments, or “phylloclades,” have pointed spines and are serrated or “toothed,” with 2-4 on each side.
Because of this, these succulents are known as “Crab Claw Cactus.” The final segment’s end has a point on either side and a little concavity.
Thanksgiving cactus flowers are created at the tips or the point where the leaf segments converge. They look like a long tube, like a flower inside a flower.
They normally bloom around Thanksgiving and come in a variety of hues, mostly pastels, such as red, pink, peach, purple, orange, or white.
Observe the pollen-bearing anthers as well.
Christmas cactus anthers are pink to purplish-brown, and Thanksgiving cactus anthers are yellow.
Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii)
The Christmas cactus has leaves with a more rounded, scalloped edge. Although each segment’s tip has a small curvature, they can appear practically straight across.
Christmas cactus blooms often bloom in December and are pink or white. But if you notice flowers on these plants between March and May, don’t be alarmed.
Easter Cactus
Unbelievably, there is also an Easter cactus (Hatiora gaertneri), and you got it, it blooms in April. The leaves of these succulents feature a strong ridge on one side and tiny bristles.
The flowers are more shaped like stars. They originated in Brazil’s native, temperate woodlands. Although this cactus is significantly more susceptible to over- or under-watering, use caution when watering it.
Is it an Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas cactus?
The Schlumbergera family includes the Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus, therefore their histories are extremely similar. Both of these are tropical cactus from Brazil’s rainforests. They were found by Allen Cunningham in the early 19th century, and the genus was named in honor of an unusual botanist by the name of Frederic Schlumberger.
Schlumberger has six different species, many of which have special holiday names. Every plant has a name that refers to the season in which it blooms in the Northern Hemisphere. The Christmas cactus blooms a little bit later than the Thanksgiving cactus. However, since they both bloom in their native countries from April to May, neither term is used for them there.
The Hatiora family includes the Easter cactus. You’ll notice the difference in watering later because this succulent is also from Brazil, but it comes from the drier jungles. Sadly, not much is known about how the Easter cactus was discovered. However, the Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti are likely to be in season at the same time.
What exactly is a Thanksgiving cactus?
Thanksgiving Cactus Schlumbergera truncata is a succulent. Although it is not a genuine cactus, it is known as a leaf cactus. Instead, it is an epiphyte, a plant that grows on another plant. In contrast to the Christmas cactus, which has smoother edges, the Thanksgiving cactus has broad, flat leaves with faint serrations on the edges. Fall flowers have fuchsia-like blossoms and occur in shades of yellow, white, pink, and red.
These plants are categorized as zygocactus, which some academics argue is a misnomer and others proclaim loudly. The Thanksgiving holiday cactus is a tried-and-true winner no matter what kind of plant it is, with blooms that endure for 2 to 4 months and a laid-back disposition. The plant’s need to be tricked in order to blossom again the following year is the only serious issue.
Cooler temperatures and shorter daylight hours are required to force the Thanksgiving cactus to bloom. This implies that if you are in an area without frost, you can leave the cactus outside to experience things exactly as they would be if they happened naturally. Those of us who live in colder climates will need to create artificial conditions indoors to be warm, but we may still face temperatures as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) and less light, including artificial light. In the late summer or early fall, start forcing Thanksgiving cacti to bloom.
Cold hardiness for false Christmas cactus :
The Thanksgiving cactus is frequently referred to as a house plant. In the warmer zones 10 and up, you can grow it outdoors, in partial shade, all year round.
You should cultivate crab cactus as an indoor plant if your climate is colder than this. It will benefit from being moved outside during the summer.
How often does a Thanksgiving cactus bloom each year?
A Thanksgiving cactus will bloom once a year in the late fall if the appropriate circumstances are met. Thanksgiving cacti: How Long Do They Live? Holiday cacti are frequently handed down through the generations due to their extraordinarily long lifespan. With the right care, a Thanksgiving cactus can live up to 100 years.
What hues do Thanksgiving cacti have?
The popular Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti, Schumbergera truncata and Schumbergera x buckleyi, are native to Brazil and bloom in the fall and winter. They come in a wide range of hues, including red, rose, purple, lavender, peach, orange, cream, and white. These Schlumbergera species are excellent choices for hanging baskets because to their pendulous stems, which allow them to grow as epiphytes among tree branches in gloomy rain forests.
Thanksgiving cactus typically flower around Thanksgiving, about a month before Christmas cacti bloom, when planted under regular night length conditions. The Easter cactus (Hatiora gaertneri; synonym Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri), which blooms intermittently throughout the year with pink or red flowers, is another member of the group of cacti sold as holiday decorations. The Thanksgiving cactus is most frequently found for sale during the winter holiday season because of when it blooms. If the plants are kept at 68 oF, flowering can extend up to 7 to 8 weeks.
You can tell the Thanksgiving and Christmas cactus apart by observing the shape of the flattened stem segments, or phylloclades as they are known botanically. Each of these stem segments on the Thanksgiving cactus has 2 to 4 saw-toothed serrations or projections along the borders. The Christmas cactus has more rounded stem edges. Both of these holiday cactus lack genuine leaves, thus photosynthesis takes place inside the green phylloclades.
Based on the color of the pollen-bearing anthers, a second way to identify between these two Schlumbergera species. The Thanksgiving cactus has yellow anthers, whereas the Christmas cactus has purplish-brown anthers.